As far as the goalkeeping situation goes at Everton, it’s fairly straightforward: Jordan Pickford is the starter, with Robin Olsen the backup.
Arriving on loan from AS Roma, the Swede has impressed all around him, including Carlo Ancelotti, which is why we’ve seen numerous articles stating the Italian manager would be open to making the move permanent ahead of next season.
What isn’t clear, however, is what the future holds for Jordan Pickford.
While he is the undisputed starter in the Premier League, there’s a general feeling that should someone come in with a decent offer, perhaps one that would help Everton recoup most or all of their £25m expenditure, then they would sell.
However, you would think, what with Marcel Brands being a meticulous planner and all, they would only do so if a suitable and potentially better replacement was available.
That man could be Alex Meret, currently at Napoli.
Corriere dello Sport on Friday have a look at all the business that could take place depending on whether or not the Serie A side qualify for the Champions League, and should Gennaro Gattuso fail to steer the club into Europe’s elite competition, a goalkeeper would be sold.
They explain that another season with both David Ospina and Meret fighting for the number one spot would do more harm than good, and the ‘enfant-prodige’, referring to the latter of the two, ‘has an admirer in Ancelotti’.
Considering both Pickford and the Italian cost their respective clubs around £25m when they were bought, you’re looking at the same calibre of goalkeeper, and yet Meret is four years younger, and also taller.
It’s certainly not a guarantee, but if Everton do decide to offload their current number one, we know exactly where their manager will be turning to to potentially replace him.
